Israel sets hostage deadline, Palestinians go to Moscow

Israel has issued a firm deadline for the release of its remaining hostages: March 10, the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

If the deadline for their release is not met, former defense minister and current war cabinet member Benny Gantz on Sunday said Israel would launch a ground invasion of Rafah, escalating from bombings and raids. Gantz promised that Israel would ensure civilian evacuations in coordination with the US and Egypt to minimize casualties.

Meanwhile, rival Palestinian factions are gearing up for a meeting in Moscow to rework Gaza's governance. Western leaders have roundly rejected Hamas participation in any future scenario, so Russian mediation is the most promising path from the Palestinian perspective, and Russia has delicate interests to balance in the region.

Palestinian Authority prime minister Mohammad Shtayyehconfirmed Russia will host the talks February 26. “If Hamas is ready to come to the ground with us, we are ready to engage. If Hamas is not… that is a different story. But we need Palestinian unity.”

That unity would require Hamas to accept the political platform of the PLO, including recognizing Israel, a position Hamas currently rejects.

Hamas would like discussions to focus on rebuilding the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and establishing a technocratic government until elections are held. It would also like Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas to resign.

International response to date has been skeptical. French officials oppose any involvement by Hamas in its current form, while the UK would like to dismantle Hamas's military, exile its leadership, and establish a technocratic, demilitarized authority to oversee elections, to eliminate threats to Israel.